Love & Sex

Older Women are Satisfied with Their Sex Lives

Study shows some women want more sex

by Elizabeth Brown, October 18, 2011|Comments: 0

'Sexual desire disorder' is supposed to be a major problem amongst older women in America, at least if you believe television sitcoms, a handful of studies and the companies marketing products designed to improve older women's sex lives.

But a large new study finds women in their 50s, 60s and even 70s are still having sex, satisfied with their sex lives and, if anything, want it a little more often, please.

The study, based on data from the Women's Health Initiative and published in the journal Menopause, found that 60 percent of women age 50-59, about 50 percent of women in their 60s and 28 percent of those in their 70s were sexually active.

Of the 27,347 women surveyed, about two-thirds said they are satisfied with their current sex lives.

Among those who were dissatisfied, 57% said they preferred more sexual activity. For those women who were not sexually active, the most common cause was lack of a partner, not disinterest or personal health problems.

Speaking of women and sex ... yesterday marked the 40th anniversary of that landmark book on women's sexuality and sexual health, Our Bodies, Ourselves. It was first published by the Boston Women's Health Collective in 1971.